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Ruined (Ruined #1)

3.78 of 5 stars 3.78 · rating details · 5,691 ratings · 851 reviews

A gripping supernatural mystery and romance set in post-Katrina New Orleans.

Rebecca couldn't feel more out of place in New Orleans. She's staying in a creepy house with her aunt, who reads tarot cards. And at the snooty prep school, a pack of filthy-rich girls treat Rebecca like she's invisible. Only gorgeous, unavailable Anton Grey gives Rebecca the time of day, but she w...more

Paperback, 309 pages

Published August 1st 2010 by Point (first published August 1st 2009)

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Feb 26, 2012 Sarah rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: zz-2011, dnf-blah-rubbish, reviewed, zz-swapped-ya

It's early to give up, I know, but I've got a bad feeling about this one. Here's why:

1) It reads more like a middle-grade novel than a teen novel. I don't like middle grade because there's almost always...

2) ...too much Telling/Not Showing. In fact, I daresay the first 30 pages are an epidemic infodump. BEEP! Big mistake. The first few chapters of any novel are critical...and infodumping is a really risky choice. I don't want to spend those first minutes having everyone tell the heroine why the...more It's early to give up, I know, but I've got a bad feeling about this one. Here's why:

1) It reads more like a middle-grade novel than a teen novel. I don't like middle grade because there's almost always...

2) ...too much Telling/Not Showing. In fact, I daresay the first 30 pages are an epidemic infodump. BEEP! Big mistake. The first few chapters of any novel are critical...and infodumping is a really risky choice. I don't want to spend those first minutes having everyone tell the heroine why the cemetaries in NoLa are so famous, or the population of the city is still wonky after Katrina, or what a shotgun house is -- I want her (& the reader) to discover it for themselves, or at least spread the informative convos throughout the story. I want -- dare I say, NEED -- to spend those first several pages getting to know the narrator and/or the author's tone. And honestly? I don't care how much the author loves New Orleans. Show me later. For those opening minutes, give me character. Alas, from what I've read in other reviews, this Tour Guide Yammering doesn't stop for most of the first half. Yawn. Immediate!Infodumping is a surefire way to get off on the wrong foot...

3) ...therein putting much pressure on the reader's connection with the heroine. But I can already tell Rebecca won't save anything. This girl is seriously flat. Her story is told in third person, so any personal thoughts are little better than augmentation for the infodumps (Her father once told her about...She barely remembered Aunt Claudia until...). Her every experience beyond the airport is a lens to give the reader visuals for New Orleans; meanwhile, she 'rebels' against circumstances in that obnoxious way of an adult pandering to Da Teenage Blues (wah, I have to relocate for six months because my dad is going to China, boo-hoo, I'm leaving everything I know!). Even these flaws could be forgiven up to a certain point...except that Rebecca is about as dynamic as a week-old omlette.

Anyhoo...

It's pretty obvious that I didn't like this. At all. :P It's a shame, really; it has many elements I love (according to the jacket, at least). But Rebecca is an awkward age -- fifteen -- because she demands potential readers that are neither old enough for legit teen sex/violence/language (e.g. Nevermore) nor young enough to amuse with childhood woes (e.g. Diary of a Wimpy Kid). Methinks this book will be a tough go for most adult readers, whether they read YA to enjoy vicarious late-teen adventure or giggle at tween awkwardness.(less)

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Dec 25, 2012 Book Chick City rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, book-list-2009, paranormal-ya

Ruined is marketed as a ghost story and it is a story about a ghost, but it's not what I expected. It's not scary, or spooky or spine-tingling. It's just about a girl who happens to be a ghost. The plot is quite good and we are introduced to Rebecca, who is the only person (or so she thinks) that can see the ghost, Lisette. They form a friendship, but behind it there is a secret which Rebecca slowly unravels and discovers the truth.

Rebecca is a nice girl, but we don't really get to know her, an...more

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Oct 06, 2010 Emilianna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Well it was an interesting one. I loved it from start to finish and it was an interesting look at today's society levels.
At first I was a bit irritated that the South was painted in such a mean way, when Southerners are usually quite nice people. Then again I've never met the high society Southerners like Helena Bowman so I can't know if its that bad or not. But I got over it really quick and loved the way Morris depicts ghosts in this story.
All the characters where rich and believable and it a...more

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Dec 17, 2011 Christina (Reading Thru The Night) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, ya-love, spooky, mystery

Isn't that cover absolutely gorgeous, if a bit misleading (the ghost in the story is a young black girl and the woman in the picture, well, she doesn't look young or black, does she?)

It being a ghost story wasn't really what pushed me into this purchase, rather it was because the ghost story's setting is New Orleans. I have no ties with NOLA outside of doing the touristy visits. Still, in all of the places that I have travelled, NOLA is the only city that I can still visualize, the only place wh...more

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Jun 28, 2011 Christy (TheReaderBee) added it · review of another edition

Shelves: at-library, read-in-2011

Ruined is my very first read by Paula Morris. I was thrilled that it finally came in at the library so I could read it.

The characters are pretty likeable. Of course, there are some you just love to hate anyways. The main character, Rebecca, was pretty likeable. She wants to fit in at her new home and new school, but she really doesn’t seem to care when she doesn’t. I really didn’t see much of a connection between Rebecca and Anton, unfortunately. There’s definitely not a lot of romance in this b...more

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Jul 04, 2010 Lexie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: review-blog, book-type-hardcover, books-owned

Like the main character, Rebecca, I knew very little about New Orleans before Katrina. What I did know came from sources like movies, novels, comic books and random historical facts that stuck in my head from American history classes. Pop culture painted a surrealistic view of the city--populated by a people who have lived and thrived on traditions for centuries and Mardi Gras, was the talk of the world. I was intrigued and terrified by the thought of going to the city.

And then Hurricane Katrin...more Like the main character, Rebecca, I knew very little about New Orleans before Katrina. What I did know came from sources like movies, novels, comic books and random historical facts that stuck in my head from American history classes. Pop culture painted a surrealistic view of the city--populated by a people who have lived and thrived on traditions for centuries and Mardi Gras, was the talk of the world. I was intrigued and terrified by the thought of going to the city.

And then Hurricane Katrina hit and suddenly the world knew about New Orleans and it was all you heard about for weeks, months and even years later. One of America's oldest cities, so much culture and history swept away by nature. But Morris doesn't hide the fact that New Orleans has a dark underside--not just in its past, but its present as well--entangled with all the glitz and glamorous parties.

I found myself fascinated by what Lisette, the ghost, told us about New Orleans and what Rebecca learned on through her independent study. An entire culture of people and lifestyles I never imagined was discussed. I enjoyed those parts moreso then the rest of it honestly. The curse and troubles of the present day were slow to really pick up speed. For a good half of the book there's barely any mention of the curse at all and other then some rather suspicious behavior and statements made by Rebecca's 'aunt' Claudia and father, there wasn't much to tie in with Rebecca.

Character motivations were murky at best, shifting and tangling with other secrets revealed a little too late in the game and making many of the characters seem inconsistent and feckless. I liked Anton until Christmas Break, but then he became just as secretive as every other 'old family'. His explanations at the end seemed off center and even a little cowardly. Tradition dictates, but he had spent the better part of the first half of the book proving that he was more than tradition demanded.

The end itself was poetic justice in a way. How the curse ends that is. It made me wonder just how much of the curse was true 'supernatural' intervention and how much of it was really coincidence and self-fulfilling prophecy. The first two 'deaths' of the curse could be mere coincidence and given the time period entirely understandable. It was after those that the family began to actively try and circumvent it, so who's to say that didn't bring it about ten times worse?
(less)

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Dec 28, 2012 Alexis rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Amazing book. Chilling too. I love how the author, Paula Morris, used real settings for this book. I am originally from Louisiana, but I am not originally from New Orleans, and this book basically brings New Orleans to you, just in a haunting way. Rebecca doesn't have a mom, and her dad has to go on a business trip. She can't stay home alone, so she has to move to L.A for a little while with her Aunt Claudia and her Cousin Aurellia. She doesn't really have any friends, and not the best at making...more

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Nov 17, 2012 Alice J rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 25-club-reading-2012

This book follows the life of a highschooler named Rebecca Brown from New York. Her father mysteriously sends her to stay with her aunt in New Orleans. She feels out of place at her new school, and misses her friends and life in NY. And she is uncomfortable with all of the secrets and social drama created by the main powerful families in New Orleans. An attractive, yet sadly unavailable, guy from her school named Anton seems to be her only friend, and even so she feels alone. That is, until she...more

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Nov 02, 2012 Tanya rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I would've given the book higher because it had an okay plot, but there were a bit of problem I ran into while reading.

I know this is probably the author's writing style, but Morris' style of telling instead of showing really pulled down the overall impact of the book for me. The use of so many passive sentences were effective at times, but was hardly that emotionally engaging during the story. I read the story, and I joined the characters throughout the whole book, but I didn't get enough to ac...more

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Mar 30, 2012 Johanna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ruined
by Paula Morris

Genre: Paranormal Romance / Fantasy / Young Adult

Rebecca couldn't feel more out of place in New Orleans, where she comes to spend the year while her dad is traveling. She's staying in a creepy old house with her aunt. And at the snooty prep school, the filthy-rich girls treat Rebecca like she's invisible. Only gorgeous, unavailable Anton Grey seems to give Rebecca the time of day, but she wonders if he's got a hidden agenda. Then one night, in Lafayette Cemetery, Rebecca m...more

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Mar 05, 2012 Anna rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, ya

If you're looking for a YA paranormal romance, step away from this book. There is ostensibly a romantic interest, although neither we nor Rebecca have a chance to get to know him very well. I actually think this is one of the book's strengths, that it doesn't try to shoehorn an epic love story into an already full plotline, and that Rebecca keeps her head around Anton. She's not madly, helplessly in love with him at first sight, and in fact he takes a backseat to the other things goin on in her...more If you're looking for a YA paranormal romance, step away from this book. There is ostensibly a romantic interest, although neither we nor Rebecca have a chance to get to know him very well. I actually think this is one of the book's strengths, that it doesn't try to shoehorn an epic love story into an already full plotline, and that Rebecca keeps her head around Anton. She's not madly, helplessly in love with him at first sight, and in fact he takes a backseat to the other things goin on in her life, but she finds him attractive and enjoys spending time with him. And while she isn't inclined to follow her aunt's instructions to keep away from him without a good reason, she's willing to keep an eye out for anything shady and to demand to be treated well, regardless of their social statuses. Balance and a sense of reality for the win!

I also really liked that Rebecca is pretty average and perceived as such. She's not suddenly the most popular girl in school, but she's not suddenly the target of all bullying at the school. She's the new girl, and as such pretty much a non-entity. In YA fiction, this is refreshing and speaking as someone who moved several times during school years, much closer to reality than everyone taking far too much interest in either a good or bad way.

The book makes some minor attempts to explore issues of race, but doesn't really go further than the surface of the issue. Which is fine, and not every book has to have these themes, but it's a shame not to delve in a little deeper. Very early in the book, Rebecca notes that "...there was another strange thing about the students at Temple Mead Academy: They were all white. Back in New York, the kids in Rebecca's class were black, white, Asian, Hispanic. Every ethnicity and religion and fashion fad in New York was represented. Here, everyone looked the same." This could have been really interesting, especially given that Lisette is a black girl (ok, a dead black girl, but still). Later, Rebecca overhears the popular kids having a racist conversation about how anyone of colour is obviously poor and illegally in the country but someone has to do the dirty work so it might as well be them. Rebecca is appalled and disgusted by the conversation and the people having it, and the reader is invited to join in her disgust. Later in the book, one of the popular kids has a party, and "The only black people at the party, as far as Rebecca could see, were the men serving drinks and the musicians. It was just like one of those quadroon balls..." It's all trying to set up the attitudes of the rich kids and their families, but the thing is, the same things could have been done as a result of class differences. Colour isn't the real issue here, it's really just a tactic being used to make sure the reader is more inclined to sympathize with Rebecca than with the rich kids.

The first three quarters of Ruined was compulsively readable, centred around the slowly unfurling mysteries buried deep within the privileged world of the wealthy, old families in New Orleans. It follows the format of a horror novel more than anything else, quiet on the surface with a dark history poking through and threatening the present. When I got near the end, though, things started to fall apart for me, but in order to explain why I'm gonna have to go into more detail than I usually would. Therefore minor spoilers beyond this point. Turn back if you want to be unspoiled. You have been warned.

There's a major plot twist near the end where Rebecca's aunt makes a revelation to rock the girl's entire world. To accept this revelation means accepting pretty much everything she knows is wrong, but Rebecca doesn't seem to have much of a problem jumping on board with it. I know she's already been hanging out with a ghost and in terms of plot this twist makes sense, but the very nature of it should have Rebecca in denial for much longer than about the 30 seconds it takes her to reconcile that everything she knows is based on a lie. She decides her aunt is right, and by extension her friends must be lying to her and no longer to be trusted. Yup, the teenage girl decides to put all her faith in an authority figure she doesn't know very well, over her friends and parents. I... I just... uh, what?

The final showdown is dramatic and full of action, but even this is full of "huh?" moments. I understand "better her than me" in a scenario where there can only be one, and it seems to me a viable motivation. But the way that dilemma is resolved winds up too clean. There are no consequences to anything that happens. I wanted to see Rebecca having to live with and deal with the events of that night, but the book wraps up very quickly and abruptly after that scene, and all we're left with is a very vague epilogue which tells us nothing. When I saw the author had another book recently released, actually, I wondered if it was a continuation of Ruined because so much here felt unresolved. It isn't, and it could well be that enough of Rebecca's story has been told a second novel in the same world would be unwarranted, but as it stands currently it feels unfinished.(less)

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Feb 24, 2012 Abby rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Rebecca brown is trying to make friends at her new school in New Orleans.ut no body wants to let her in their group.Till one night she saw a the group of most popular kids break into the cemetry.So she followed them thats when she meets lisett,Lisett is a ghost,Later on Lisett and Rebecca find out that only Bowman girls who only have a couple months left to live can see her so why can Rebecca is she is from New York and is not related to the Bowmans.The setting is identifiable because in the ver...more

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Oct 21, 2011 Connie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This had a solid ghost story, and Morris did an excellent job of setting the scene and the mood. She gives the reader a good sense of who the characters are, or at least as much as she wants you to know of them. It's a ghost story, so we can't know everything about everyone. There needs to be some mystery, eh?

Rebecca was a strong girl, which I admired. Her eagerness to participate in a certain event later in the book was a bit off, though. I thought she cared too much about that considering her...more

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Oct 14, 2011 Katieeoh Lacanlale rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: engrossing, horror, romance, ghosts, mysterious

Hi! I just posted this review on my blog: http://katieeoh.tumblr.com/post/11431...

First and foremost, I loved the cover. Its very mysterious and at the same time it tells a dark, witty story. For me I love books that are filled with mystery, horror and suspense. But I never loved books that’s all about vampires and werewolves and fallen angels…whatever. I hate those kind of books. It shifts my mind into something that is so unraveling and simply…weird. I never loved it, just like Twilight, Falle...more

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Oct 04, 2011 Lori rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If you're a reader that's looking for a teeth grinding, heart pounding, sleep with the lights on ghost story, read no further. You will likely be disappointed by Paula Morris' freshman effort, Ruined. Not that Ruined is a poor book - - far from it. But it's more like a ghost story with less calories and a lighter taste.

Ruined is aimed for the Young Adult audience but it's perfectly acceptable as an adult read as well. This adult enjoyed it thoroughly from page one. And while it's marketed as a...more If you're a reader that's looking for a teeth grinding, heart pounding, sleep with the lights on ghost story, read no further. You will likely be disappointed by Paula Morris' freshman effort, Ruined. Not that Ruined is a poor book - - far from it. But it's more like a ghost story with less calories and a lighter taste.

Ruined is aimed for the Young Adult audience but it's perfectly acceptable as an adult read as well. This adult enjoyed it thoroughly from page one. And while it's marketed as a ghost story, and there is indeed a central character that is a ghost, there is far more to it than that. It's also the story of a displaced girl, a high school hierarchy and New Orleans history.

The New Orleans history was one of my favorite parts of the book. I could easily see the grand old plantation homes with their stately pillars and expansive grounds, as well as the bustling and colorful streets of the Quarter. The very best scene in the book, in my opinion, involved the ghostly Lisette walking Rebecca through New Orleans and the many ghosts wandering around the city, elbow to elbow with the living. It was a colorfully well written passage, alternating between those lost souls who either didn't realize they were no longer living or were waiting to avenge their deaths and the living who inexplicably bumped into something that wasn't there or got a cold chill. It definitely makes you wonder about that other realm, particularly in old cities like New Orleans with so much history. And voodoo.

Voodoo plays a part in Ruined but not a huge one and readers who object to the magical or dark arts shouldn't take serious issue with Ruined. By the same token, there is no objectionable language and no sexual scenes. The violence is kept to a minimum with descriptions of the appearances of ghosts as Rebecca sees them - - they appear as they did at the time of their deaths, with the cause of their deaths at times very apparent.

I wouldn't say that Ruined is a dark book, maybe a little bit shaded and young readers could find certain sections to be a little much for them.

Rebecca is a good heroine; despite being new to the area she seems fairly secure in herself and doesn't seem to be looking for acceptance by the "cool crowd" at school. While she doesn't have a somewhat typical teen attitude, she does sneak out of the house at night which is probably her most serious fault.

I found Ruined to be a read that I lost myself in for a couple of days and was happy to do so. I look forward to author Paula Morris' future efforts.

On a shallow note, the cover is absolutely gorgeous.

Ruined is an entertaining story that will make you think, at least a little, and will certainly make you appreciate the glorious history of New Orleans.

Review Copyright © Psychotic State Book Reviews
http://www.psychoticstate.net (less)

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Aug 31, 2011 Tracey rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, teen

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 26, 2011 Aviva rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

You know, it's funny but my absolute biggest beef with this book is that the chick on the cover is not the ghost in the story. It's a fast read about a girl who ends up in New Orleans because her father's away on business and ends up solving the mystery of her own past as well as the mystery of a murder that happened more than a century ago. It was really cool to read a book set in NOLA post Katrina. The author doesn't lie and pretend the hurricane never happened. She also doesn't make the ruine...more

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Aug 04, 2011 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Rebecca isn't too happy when her dad heads off to a six month business trip in China and she's sent off to live with an eccentric aunt in New Orleans. Not only does she have to deal with being uprooted from her comfortable New York home, but she has a strange aunt who tells fortunes for a living and has to put up with foreign social rules and a gaggle of arrogant girls at her new school.

Rebecca isn't having any luck making friends until she meets a mysterious girl, Lisette, at the local cemetery...more

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Jul 17, 2011 Cara (Chasing Words) added it · review of another edition

posted on http://chasingwordsreviews.blogspot.com June 2010

Favorite Line(s):
"The past doesn't go away. You just can't see it anymore."- I just really love this. Lisette speaks the truth.
And just because it's hilarious: "Claire and Aurelia had been sworn to secrecy on the lives of the entire cast of Gossip Girl."

Ruined was okay, just okay. I'm sad to say that nothing really grabbed me with this book. The characters were okay, the plot was good, it was a concept I liked, but it just didn't go as f...more posted on http://chasingwordsreviews.blogspot.com June 2010

Favorite Line(s):
"The past doesn't go away. You just can't see it anymore."- I just really love this. Lisette speaks the truth.
And just because it's hilarious: "Claire and Aurelia had been sworn to secrecy on the lives of the entire cast of Gossip Girl."

Ruined was okay, just okay. I'm sad to say that nothing really grabbed me with this book. The characters were okay, the plot was good, it was a concept I liked, but it just didn't go as far as it could've in my opinion.

First, let's talk about originality and concept, the new editions to my rating system. I absolutely loved the concept of Ruined. The New Orleans history and culture mixed with the teen angst we all know and love gets an A+ in my book. The only problem was the execution of this concept. It just didn't cut it for me. I don't want to sound too harsh, but the characters and plot didn't blend at all, making it seem as though two different novels were welded together. For example, the stories within the story really pull you in at certain parts then a character, usually Rebecca, will say something dull and the magic is gone faster than a brain cake at a zombie wedding.

Now, while the plot was very original, the characters were not. New girl isn't accepted by the 'cool' kids, then the unattainable stud chooses the aforementioned new/shunned girl to pine for, isn't exactly what I'd call new. We've all seen this before and right from the start I wanted to pull my hair out. Basically, I didn't like the people in the story.

While the rest of this review is rather blatantly showing my dislike for Ruined, there were some very enjoyable aspects. I can't get over how much I loved reading about the history of New Orleans and the backstory of both Lisette and the families mentioned throughout the book. Ms. Morris really put a lot into creating this separate world in our own. Details are abundant, and the connections between the families are easily made. I'd never really studied New Orleans, or Louisiana for that matter, very much, so it was very interesting to learn something new.

Overall, while Ruined wasn't one of my favorite books by far, I did enjoy it, and would recommend as a light summer read.(less)

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Jul 11, 2011 Barbara rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 16, 2011 Claudia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-book-challenge-150-books, ya-books, sci-fi-fantasy

Still trying to decide how I feel about this book...I loved the setting...I love that Morris talks about the changes to New Orleans since Katrina. I appreciated the glimpse into the 'old' families, and wonder how much is true, of the legacies of privilege and power...I really loved the history. Rebecca is sent to New Orleans to live for a while with her goofy Aunt Claudia (LOVE the name!), and she's rightfully resentful. A new private school with some incredibly snooty girls, a mysterious boy, a...more

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Jan 23, 2011 Denise rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book felt alternately slow then fast paced and back again. Sometimes you would find out many things then you would go pages before anything really happened. So it was a little hard to stick with at times but I did because I thought it was interesting and wanted to find out what really happened in the end. The main character was easy to identify with. I understand that some of the characters may seem snotty and out of place for the South, but stories need to have great contrast to keep the r...more

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Jan 17, 2011 Shiralea Woodhouse rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-lit

I admit it - I picked up this book because it was set in Louisiana...and even better, in a graveyard in New Orleans. I (being a La. native) have always loved the aboveground cemeteries - there is just something "neat-o" about them! And the author managed to weave in some of the history and culture of N.O. into the story. So I enjoyed the setting. However: although I've never run into the "upper crust" of the garden district, it's a little hard to believe they would be SO snotty...and homicidal (...more

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Jan 07, 2011 Geokowgurl rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was kind of slow for the first 12 chapters or so and I had a hard time getting in to it, however I kept at it and ended up really liking it. Rebecca is a teenage girl from New York City and is sent to live with her "aunt", whom isn't really related to her, in New Orleans. At her new school in New Orleans she figures out fast that it is filled with snobs who come from long lines of money and if you do not belong to one of those family lines, then you are a nobody and get treated as such...more

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Sep 07, 2010 Sarah rated it 2 of 5 stars

Great cover, eh? I was gently reminded of Richard Peck's old ghost stories that I used to love about Blossom Culp. Rebecca has to move to New Orleans because her only parent is working in China for a few months. She isn't thrilled to attend a snooty private school and to live with an "aunt" and cousin she doesn't know very well, but she manages. She's thrust into the New Orleans privileged and elite, even when she doesn't want to be, when a cute rich boy asks her to a Christmas party that most g...more

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Sep 01, 2010 LadyDisdain rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 13, 2010 Linda Lipko rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It was found in the young adult section of the library and unlike many YA books, this one did not deal with insightful struggles or coming of age woes. Instead, it was fluffy and breezy and the story line more fantasy like that serious in nature.

The setting is New Orleans, LA where 16 year old Rebecca Brown, a native New York City dweller is sent to live with a family friend who reads tarot cards and has psychic abilities.

Typically in YA stories, teenagers are transported to another school, town...more

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May 31, 2010 Kathy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: teen

Rebbecca is sent to live with her Aunt in New Orleans when her dad has to travel to China for work. She knows no one here and is immediately put off by the snobbish manners of the girls she attends school with. Her only friend is Lisette, a girl she meets in the cemetery. However, it turns out that Lisette is a ghost. She is limited to haunting the cemetery, the Bowman house, and her childhood home until her murder is avenged. This will occur with the end of the curse that was placed on the Bowm...more

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May 04, 2010 Jamie added it · review of another edition

Over the past few weeks, I read the book Ruined by Paula Morris. Ruined is a book about a young girl named Rebecca Brown. Rebecca Brown is a native New Yorker. She was born and raised there, and she loves it there. She has friends that likes her, she lives in an apartment that overlooks Central Park, and she attends a good school. Her life is going perfectly until one day her father tells her that she is going to live in New Orleans for the next few months. Her father is being sent to China for...more

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Mar 30, 2010 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was as much a historic delight as a ghost story delight. I really enjoyed learning so much about New Orleans past and felt I could really picture the setting of the story because the author spent so much time describing New Orlean's past and present. Every time I pass a cemetary now I get disappointed knowing that in New Orleans there are these elaborate tombs and elevated cemeteries.

I could tell that this book was written with a lot of love. The author put care into even the most desp...more

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About Paula Morris

Paula Morris, a novelist and short story writer of English and Maori descent, was born in New Zealand. For almost a decade she worked in the record business in London and New York. She now lives in New Orleans, where she teaches creative writing at Tulane University.

Paula's first novel, Queen of Beauty, won best first work of fiction at the 2003 Montana New Zealand Book Awards. Hibiscus Coast, a l...more

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7490472-ruined?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328840386l/7490472.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7490472-ruined?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Ruined by Paula Morris[/url]

Ruined (Ruined #1)

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